Zach Kuntz 2023 NFL Draft profile: Scout report for the Old Dominion TE

Zach Kuntz, Old Dominion

6’7”, 255 pounds; RS SR

A top-200 overall recruit in 2018, Kuntz could never join a very good line of Penn State tight-ends. He only appeared in one game as a true freshman and over the following two seasons he was almost exclusively used on special teams, combining for just three catches as a Nittany Lion. He then transferred to Old Dominion, where he immediately turned into a star for the Monarchs. Despite having his final season cut short to less than five full games in, when he got his foot twisted underneath a tackler, Kuntz was able to haul in 85 passes for 836 yards and seven touchdowns across 18 games with ODU. In the program’s final season in Conference-USA, he was named first-team all-conference in 2021.

+ While he’s not your prototypical Y on the ball, Kuntz lined up as a wing about half the time and took on different responsibilities in the run game

+ Brings his hips and drives his legs through blocks on C-gap defenders to cave in that side pretty well and allows the back to cut behind him on duo

+ Was regularly deployed as a blocker on the move, coming across the formation on kickouts and leading up into the hole on GF counter

+ Does a nice job of landing contact with the inside shoulder when sifting towards the backside edge on split zones

+ Not afraid to trap D-tackles after motioning inside from detached alignments and basically hitting them at full force

+ Allowed the ball to get out to the perimeter by cutting off linebackers from wing-alignment on fly sweeps and some other plays

+ Is able to take care of safeties with a wide, low base for the most part

+ Was regularly utilized as a vertical receiver on slot fade and corner routes

+ Light on his feet for a big body, to where he makes bending on glance/slant routes and pivoting back towards the quarterback look easy

+ Can give a little stutter and cleanly beat safeties and slot defenders across their face on in-breaking routes

+ ODU targeted him a few times running out-and-ups as the single receiver to his side or from wing alignments

+ Uses his off-arm very well to swipe down the hands of hook/overhang defenders trying to widen his route stem

+ Shows some quicks to elude defenders in space and slides inside of them when they’re leveraged that way as he has to work away from them on breaks across the field

+ Can incorporate some head-fakes breaking off routes to get safeties turned the wrong way down the field – he did so on the go-ahead touchdown versus Virginia last year with a minute left before their opponents were able to ultimately win on a field goal

+ Plucks the ball at full extension when he can and has impressive over-the-head catches on tape

+ Doesn’t seem bothered by the arms of defenders extending for the ball minimizing/affecting his vision

+ Dropped only five of 90 catchable targets across these past two seasons

+ Will quickly eat up ground with those long strides after the grab, if you give him space to work with

+ Had one of the best all-around combine showings we’ve ever seen from a tight-end, where he was just one-100th of a second in the 40 and four-100ths of a second in the short-shuttle away from sweeping the board for the position, including a 4.55 in the 40, a 40-inch vert and the fourth-best short-shuttle time among all players in Indy (4.12)

+ While it may not be part of his future plans, Kuntz didn’t shy away from doing the dirty work and putting his body in the way when pass-protecting against edge rushers or sliding inside from wing alignments and picking up a blitzing linebacker up the A-gap as a personal protector

– Not somebody who brings much thump at contact as a blocker and is more so shielding defenders or riding them off track

– Can’t sit in the chair as well as some of the other TEs with that height and rounds off too many breaks or tilts off defenders with what’s coming

– Needs to do a better job of manipulating (off-man) defenders at the top of the route and not allowing them to cut off his path, forcing himself to work through contact

– Lacks a certain understanding for how to use different paces as he’s navigating through zone coverages – when to slow down, re-accelerate, sit down, etc.

– Doesn’t appear to be a particularly physical player at the catch point or somebody who puts his body in-between the ball and the defender, as he hauled in just ten of 24 contested catch opportunities (41.7%) over the last two seasons combined

As good as this tight-end class is all-around, Kuntz stands above the rest with the historic combine he put up. I’m not sure if he quite plays up to those and his height creates some challenges in terms of being able to find leverage in the run game, as well as efficiently getting through his freaks and keeping defenders off balance with his body language out in the pattern. The combination of explosiveness, long speed and catch radius makes him a very intriguing prospect and somebody who could go as early as anybody outside the top six.

As a former high jump and hurdle standout, how much muscle he can still add to his frame will be crucial for his potential in-line usage and the improvements we may see from him in terms of being able to come down with combat catches. If his future team can improve his strength and flexibility by a good 10%, his ceiling will be very high.

Grade: Late third/early fourth round

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